Ya girl touched down in The Bay Area the 15th and aside from the never-ending papers I had to grade, I’ve been catching up with loved ones. I spent Thanksgiving at my aunt’s home (per usual) and the latter part of the holiday with my cousins at the turn up house.
This year was my first year coming home for holidays and not spending Thanksgiving with my mother. This is due to several members of my family not being on speaking terms. My mother is feuding with her sister for reasons unbeknownst to anyone in the family. My aunt’s daughter and I aren’t speaking due to a disagreement we had during the holiday season last year. Everyone is holding grudges and quite frankly it has gotten weird.
Growing up in California the majority of my family lived near one other. My parents’ families are from The Bay Area and for the majority of my life we lived within a twenty-minute ride from one another. As prices in The Bay began to skyrocket families started moving further out into the suburbs, namely Antioch and Sacramento. These cities are over an hour drive from The Bay Area. Because my family is so spread out, overworked, and exhausted like most American families, time spent with one another is few and far between. What’s more is that since the grandmother matriarch of most families is deceased, families rarely coordinate get togethers for the holidays.
As someone who lives six thousand miles away from home, family time is very important to me. And though I’m not a person one would associate with being sensitive, family members not being on speaking terms affects me. No one wins when the family feuds yet despite my efforts for reconciliation, no one is budging.
I am now ten years into this expat life. I’m about to be forty-four December 13th. I just lost my father to cancer and my aunt is in recovery. The immature behavior my family (self included) continues to perpetuate needs to stop. People in Gaza and in the Congo are mourning the loss of their loved ones this holiday season. It’s high time we be grateful and appreciate our loved ones that are still here. So if you’re reading this and you’re not on speaking terms with your family members over something trivial try to make it right. Life is way too short.
Paris Chic Code Announcements
I’m excited to announce that I’m preparing a three-day shopping retreat early next year for the girlies who want to fly in and enjoy a symphony of luxurious shopping. I’ll be taking the girlies to my favorite boutiques for a personalized luxury experience. I’m considering hosting the retreat in April or May. Let me know in the comments if it’s something that sounds interesting to you.
Be on the lookout for the Hermès sale to be held early January. Access to shop the sale is a paid subscriber benefit. Once I receive my invitation I’ll send an email blast to paid subscribers. If you are not a paid subscriber you will not receive the email.
Paris Chic Code Services
Paris Chic Code started as an Expat Consulting business and has since expanded into the travel planning and personal shopping realm. Those of you interested in moving to Paris can book a consultation with me at www.parischiccode.com. Those interested in help with planning your trip to Paris, I can help you here. Chic Code girlies interested in personal shopping services can book with me here.
Chateau de Fontainebleau
Before I arrived in The Bay Area my cousin
was in town for a couple of weeks and we did all the things. One outing I thoroughly enjoyed was a visit to Chateau de Fontainebleau. Word on the street is that Fontainebleau gives Versailles some competition and anyone who knows me knows that I adore Versailles.